Melany is a spelling of Melanie favored by Spanish-speaking families; the name comes from the Greek melaina and means "dark" or "black", originally for dark-haired or dark-skinned girls. Saint Melania the Younger of Rome made it a Christian name, and the Gone with the Wind heroine Melanie Wilkes fixed it in American use. Melany has been in the US top 1000 since 2001 and jumped from number 633 in 2023 to number 399 in 2025, its highest rank yet.